Binocular adapter for a camera having a recessed lens

Abstract

An adapter for temporarily and releasably attaching or connecting the eyepiece barrel of one telescope of a binocular to a camera of the type which has a deeply recessed lens, to the end that the optical or lens system of such telescope may serve as a telephoto lens system for the camera, while the other telescope of the binocular is capable of serving as sighting means for the user of the camera. An optical image diverter which is associated with the adapter projects into the camera recess and increases the eye relief of the one telescope of the binocular and carries the image backward or rearwards through the camera recess so as to retrofocus such image on the camera film with or without magnification or demagnification and without vignetting.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 
     
       1. An adapter for releasably connecting one eyepiece barrel of a binocular to a camera of the recessed lens type for photographic impression of an image on the camera film, said eyepiece barrel having an eye lens at its front end, said camera having a relatively deep lens recess in its front portion and a camera lens disposed in said recess, said adapter embodying an image diverter in the form of a tubular open-ended lens holder designed for reception in the recess and axial interpositioning thereof between said eye lens and the camera lens, the longitudinal extent of said lens holder being substantially equal to the depth of the camera recess whereby, when the holder is disposed in the recess, its front end and the camera lens are in contiguity, and an optical lens system disposed within said lens holder and effective when the rear region of the holder is disposed in contiguity with the eye lens of said eyepiece barrel and the holder is in the recess to increase the eye relief of said eyepiece barrel and carry the image established thereby rearwardly to the camera lens for subsequent impression on the camera film. 
     
     
       2. An adapter as set forth in claim 1 and wherein said optical lens system within the lens holder embodies a positive converging lens adjacent to one end of the holder and a negative diverging lens adjacent to the other end of the holder. 
     
     
       3. An adapter as set forth in claim 2 and wherein said positive converging lens is disposed adjacent to the front end of the lens holder. 
     
     
       4. An adapter as set forth in claim 2 and wherein said positive converging lens is disposed adjacent to the rear region of the holder. 
     
     
       5. An adapter as set forth in claim 2 and wherein the focal lengths of said positive and negative lenses are such that substantially no magnification of the image which is transmitted through the image diverter takes place. 
     
     
       6. The combination with a camera of the recessed lens type having a relatively deep lens recess in its forward face and a camera lens disposed within said recess, and a binocular telescope having an eyepiece barrel provided with a lens system including an eye lens at its front end, of an adapter removably interposed between the camera and the binocular telescope and serving optically to align the lens system of said eyepiece barrel with the camera lens, said adapter comprising a tubular open-ended body having its rear end region telescopically received over said eyepiece barrel and having its front end region projecting into said recess and terminating adjacent to said camera lens, cooperating means on said camera and adapter body for removably retaining said front end region of the adapter body within said recess, and an optical lens system disposed within said front end region of the adapter body and serving to increase the eye relief of the eyepiece and carry the image established thereby back to the camera lens for subsequent impression on the camera film. 
     
     
       7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said lens system within the adapter body embodies a positive converging lens adjacent to one end of said front region of the adapter body and a negative diverging lens adjacent to the other end of said front region of the adapter body. 
     
     
       8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said positive converging lens is disposed in contiguity with said camera lens and the negative diverging lens is disposed in contiguity with the eye lens of the telescope eyepiece barrel. 
     
     
       9. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said negative converging lens is disposed in contiguity with said camera lens and the positive converging lens is disposed in contiguity with the eye lens of the telescope eyepiece barrel. 
     
     
       10. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said means for removably retaining the front end region of the adapter body within the recess in the camera comprises an attachment flange on the adapter body, and cooperating detent means on said attachment flange and the wall of the recess for removably retaining said attachment flange in position across the outer rim portion of the recess.